Ash Loading Test

To continue our efforts to keep TVA stakeholders aware of the Kingston Recovery efforts, we have shared the information below with Roane County public officials, congressional district staffs, local power distributors and the local news media.

TVA has begun a limited test of the removal of spilled fly ash from the
Kingston site by rail.

Permanent disposal plans for ash from the Kingston ash spill have not yet
been made, but this test will ensure that TVA uses the best possible processes
for loading, material containment, transportation and unloading of the ash.

The ash-loading test is being coordinated with the federal Environmental
Protection Agency and the Tennessee Department of Environment &
Conservation. Those agencies also must approve
TVA’s final plans for off-site disposal.

In the test, multiple companies will load, unload, and transport ash by rail to
multiple, Class 1, state-regulated landfills outside the state of Tennessee over the next two weeks.

Ash that has been dredged from the Emory River Channel and processed in
the temporary storage area will be loaded into railcars using a large backhoe.

TVA will test multiple containment methods that will keep the ash within the
railcars as it is safely transported to its final destination.

Each landfill will be responsible for unloading the fly ash upon arrival, and
the fly ash will be segregated from the other material stored there.

TVA sent out a Request for Proposals in February, seeking bids from
companies interested in the loading, transportation and storage of the fly ash.

TVA will evaluate the test results before awarding final contracts. TVA expects
to begin transportation of the ash to the selected locations this summer.

Initial Loading

The step immediately preceeding this one involves the loading of ash from the temporary storage area onto trucks for movement across the plant site to the rail loading area. A rail spur, or track addition, is being constructed to allow the direct loading of ash from the temporary storage area onto rail cars.

The next step in the process is the covering of the rail cars and preparation for transportation.